This invention relates generally to a pillow for use by expectant mothers and, more particularly, to an adjustable bifurcated pillow that supports an expectant mother's abdomen and legs.
Women in advancing stages of pregnancy typically suffer from discomfort due to a number of sources often resulting in a reduced ability to sleep. Current medical advice is for pregnant women to sleep on their side after the 18th week of pregnancy, as opposed to sleeping on their back, particularly sleeping on the left side. More particularly, curling up or stretching out on your side, preferably with one leg crossed over the other with a pillow positioned between the legs, is recommended. Sleeping on your back can result in the increasingly growing uterus pressing on major arterial vessels possibly resulting in a decreased blood supply for both the mother and the baby. Furthermore, proper positioning and support for the abdomen enhances kidney function and a resultant improved elimination of waste and, therefore, less fluids and less swelling of the ankles, feet and hands.
It has been found that the positioning of a pillow against the back and abdomen provides relief to some of the discomfort experienced during pregnancy. Wedge pillows are known in the art, as is represented in U.S. Pat. No. 2,314,080, issued to Norman Dine, et al on Mar. 16, 1943, and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,419, issued to  Patricia Ferguson on Apr. 11, 2000. These wedge pillows provide an elevated support for the abdomen, but, like loose pillows, are subject to movement relative to the person sleeping on them. As a result, moving from one side to the other will require a re-positioning of the pillow or pillows, thus causing a further disruption in the sleep cycle. Furthermore, wedge pillows do not provide for any support of the lower part of the body, including the legs and ankles.
A variation of the wedge pillows can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,397,052, issued to Richard Lund III on Aug. 9, 1983, in which the wedge pillow can be coupled to a detachable back rest section. Like the wedge pillows, this Lund variation would have to be re-positioned each time the expectant mother rolls from one side to the other to sleep. Also like the wedge pillows, the Lund variation does not provide any support for the legs and feet of the person using the pillow. Another variation of the wedge pillow can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,271, issued to Joseph Bellavance on Sep. 9, 1997. In the Bellavance variation, there are two pillows provided, one wedge shaped pillow to support the abdomen and a second wedge pillow, connected by a connecting strap to the first pillow, to be positioned between the sleeping person's knees. As with the wedge pillows, this pillow arrangement would have to be repositioned each time the person rolls from side to side. Furthermore, the positioning of the second pillow between the sleeping person's knees could cause the pillow arrangement to dislodge or to be improperly positioned due to the second pillow being trapped between the knees, while the first pillow is merely resting beneath the abdomen of the sleeping person. 
The problem of rolling from side to side and requiring a repositioning of the pillow is addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,396, issued to William Ritchie, Jr. on Mar. 26, 1985, in which a pair of pillows, interconnected by an adjustable connecting strap that has one half attached to each respective opposing pillow, can be positioned on opposing sides of the sleeping person. Each of the opposing pillows in the Ritchie patent is similar to the wedge pillows known in the art and are intended to provide support for the abdomen. The two opposing halves of the connecting strap are attachable to each other by hook and loop fastener members to provide an adjustment as to the distance between the two opposing pillows.
Similar pillow structure can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,828, issued to Margaret Alivizatos on Feb. 2, 1993; in U.S. Pat. No. 2,952,856, issued to Clarence Ruff on Sep. 20, 1960; and in U.S. Pat. No. 2,562,725, issued to Armeta Leto on Jul. 31, 1951. Each of these opposing dual pillow arrangements are provided to support the abdomen when sleeping on the person's side such that a repositioning of a pillow would not be necessary when rolling from side to side. The Ruff arrangement also provides for some adjustability by allowing the pillows to be rotated with respect to the connecting strap between the two pillows, although neither of the two pillows are movable longitudinally with respect to the connecting strap.
Similar pillow structures are provided in infant support pillows, which are intended to prevent a young infant from rolling over while reclined on a horizontal surface. As an example of an infant support pillow, U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,780, issued to Jason  Clute on Dec. 28, 1993, which provides for transverse adjustment of the opposing pillows through the use of hook and loop fasteners between one of the pillows and the connecting member.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,978,990, issued to Zhanna Akey on Nov. 9, 1999, also addresses the issue of repositioning the pillow whenever the sleeping person rolls from side to side by providing a pair of opposing pillows that depend longitudinally from a normal rectangular pillow. The opposing depending pillows are curved to define an open cavity therebetween to permit a pregnant woman to rest her abdomen on the curved portion of the adjacent pillow. The depending pillows extend sufficiently from the rectangular pillow to permit a portion thereof to be positioned between the pregnant woman's knees. Due to the flexible nature of the connection between the depending pillow extensions and the rectangular pillow, the pillow extensions are transversely movable, which like loose pillows would tend to move transversely with movement from the sleeping person. Even though one pillow extension is positionable on opposing sides of the sleeping person, these pillows would still have to be positionally adjusted each time the person rolls from side to side, thus disrupting the sleep cycle.
Utilization of wedge pillows and the like for support of a sleeping person's anatomy is not limited to pregnant women. Such support can also be utilized by people with back problems, as is recognized in U.S. Pat. No. 6,560,800, issued to Andrew Draves on May 13, 2003. This lumbar reinforcement pillow is positionable on opposing sides of the sleeping person to provide support to the abdomen and lower back of the sleeping person no matter which side the person is sleeping. Like many of the dual pillow arrangements discussed above, the opposing pillows are interconnected by a connecting member which permits transverse adjustability of the opposing pillows. 
None of these pillow arrangements provide an adequate support of a pregnant woman's anatomy to provide for comfortable sleeping. The wedge pillow arrangements provide only support for the abdomen and require repositioning when the sleeping person moves from side to side. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a maternity pillow arrangement that will provide comfort and proper support for a pregnant woman while sleeping.